Multiple bark-splitting machine.



No. 734,768.` --f PATBNTED JULY 28, 1903..v H. L. STALBY. MULTIPLE BARK SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 30, 1902. NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET '1.

WJTNESSES.-

ATTORNEY.

PATENTED JULY Z8, 1903.

H. L. STALEY.

MULTIPLE BARK SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

NO MODEL.

JNI/ENTOR; .MMX BY Na rames.

Patented July 28,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON'L. STALEY, OF4 MARTINSVILLE, INDIANA f I MULTIPLE BAR'KLsjLlTI'rlNe MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,768, dated July es, 1903. Application filed December 30, 1992- Serial No. 137,211. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom, it may concern: i

Be it known that I, HARRISON L. STALEY, a citizen of the United States, residing atMartinsville, ,in the county of Morgan and State of Indiana, have Iinvented new and useful Improvements in Multiple Bark-Splitting Machines; and l do declare the following to be' I a full, clear, and exact description of the in- Vlo ventiOn, reference .being had to the accompa nying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part Yof this specification. I

The invention relates to machines that are designed tobe employed for splitting bark after the same-may have been cut into strips of suitable lengths'and widths for manufacturing purposes, and it has particular reference to machines of the above-mentioned character that `are designed to split each strip in a single passage through the machine into as many parts as the strip may be capable of being divided into.

My object is to provide a cheaply -constructed machine for splitting bark that may be operated to the greatest economical advantage, thus cheapening the product, and one that will prove to be durable in use. The invention consists in a series of rotative splitters mounted so as to cut a plurality of ribbons or thin strips at the same time, and the invention also consists` in the novel parts and in the novel'combination of parts,

. as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is an elevation view of one side of the machine, and Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the opposite side thereof, showing a construction substantially in accordance withImy invention; Fig. 3, a top plan view ofthe machine; Fig.

`4L, an elevation view of the end at which the feeding is performed; Fig. 5, a fragmentary I plan view showing agroup-of feeding-gearsg Fig. (i, a fragmentary side elevation showing feed-guides, and Fig. 7 a fragmentary top plan view showing feed-guides anda feedroll. Parts' that would obscure other parts are omitted in some of the figures, as under- I stood, and are shown in other views.

Similar reference characters in the drawings designate corresponding parts.

' In construction I provide a suitable' stiff v `metallic frame for supporting the operative mechanism, the rotative shafts of which are preferably arranged horizontally, as shown. It will be obvious, however, that the whole ma chine may be operated in different positions Athan herein indicated, a modification in the farrangement of the supporting-legs only being required.

'The frame comprises vertical corner-posts A A A2 A2, intermediate posts A4 A5, all serving also as legs, horizontal rails, as B B B2 B2 B4, attached to the upper portions of the posts, rails C C C2, attached to the posts below the other rails, and other suitablemembers that may be found desirable.

Suitable stands having journaled bearings, as D D/ D2 D3 D4 D5, are mounted upon the frame at one side thereof and similar stands, as E E E2 E3 E4 E5, are mounted upon the frame near the opposite side thereof, the stands allhaving slots a in their bases, so as to be adjustably bolted to the frame in order that they may be shifted for readjustment of the splitters as they become worn and reduced in diameter. The stands are arranged in pairs, one stand of each pair being in a row and the other stands in a parallel row, so that either pair of stands may be moved in direction toward and from the adjacent pairs. Rotative shafts F F F2 F3 F4 are mounted in the bearings of the stands, a shaft in each pair, and each shaft is provided with movable collars d c, (preferably of the safety type,) secured thereto against the nearer ends of the standbearings. Each shaft has a pulley f adjustably secured thereto at the outer side of one of the stands.

The splitters G G G2 G2 G4 G5 are formed as disks having beveled edges b and are secured to the rotative shafts, as F, &c., at the ends thereof opposite the ends having the pulleys and beyond the supporting-stands, the beveled side being outermost, or at the side of the disk farthest from the nearer stand. The splitter at the feeding end of the machine is se't outward in a plane farther than the others and that at the opposite or tail end is set in a plane farthest inward,

tatively in suitable bearings at lower portions of the frame, the shafts being parallel to the splitter-shafts and having pulleys g secured thereto, one to each shaft, for driving the feed-gearing, there beinghalf as many shafts as there are splitters. One of the shafts also has two pulleys hz' thereon, one of which is loose and the other secured to the shaft, whereby a belt may be employed for driving the machine. The pulleys h and t' are usually placed close together in practice, as will be understood. A pair of idler-pulleys j are mounted in a plane between the pulleys fand g and one being in a vertical plane between two of the pulleys f and the other in a plane between two otherpulleys f. Idler-pulleys k are mounted below the plane of the pulleys g, being supported by corner-posts, a pulley at eitherl end of the machine. Thus the pulleys f, g, j, and 7c are all in the same vertical plane at one side of the machine, and a driving-belt Z connects all of these pulleys,extend ing over the pulleys f and under the pulleys g, j, and lo, and from one to the other of the two pulleys '/c, running in the direction of the arrow when in operation.

A table m is attached to the top of the frame i below the splitters and it extends substantially from en`d to end of the frame. Feedguides I I' I2 I3 I4 I5 are mounted upon the table, one in advance of the first splitter at the feeding end and the others between the other splitters, so that each splitter has a guide at the front of it. The guides are supported iiXedly, each having a groove p in the inner side thereof, and the guide I has a curved end q adjacent to the splitter G, the oth er guides having both ends thereof curved, so that the ends extend partially below the splitters. Each guide except the first of the series preferably has an ear n at the inner side thereof above the groove p. Each guide except the first guide I (and that, too, if desired) has mouth-guides J K L, suitably supported,the guide L being preferably attached to the ear n for insuring the entrance of the stock strips into the guide-grooves p and behind the feed-rolls. The guides are situated so as to correspond to the positions of the splitters above described; but the positions of the guides being Xed. the splitters must be adjusted thereto. The bottoms of the grooves p being the gages for thickness of strip to be made, each following guide is set with the bottom of its groove in a plane slightly at one side of that of the one in ad- Vance.

A plurality of feed-gear frames arranged in pairs, as M M', are mounted so as to swing radially in a horizontal plane, each pair being connected, preferably, to a common pivot,

` which in the present case is a Vertical rotative feed-gear shaft N, which is suitably supported and is driven by means of a bevelwheel r, attached to a horizontal shaft, as yI-I, anda bevel-wheel s, attached to the shaft N and meshing with the wheel r. A shaft N for thin portions.

each two splitters is provided. The swinging frames carry rotative feed-roll shafts O Ol near their ends and also stop-studs P, that are adjustable at their ends, the studs normally bearing against portions of the machineframe, limiting the movements of the swinging frames and the feed-rolls carried thereby. Springs Q are connected to the machine-frame and also to the ends of -the swinging frames and tend to seat the stop-studs. Each shaft N has a toothed wheel R attached thereto, being preferably arranged between a pair of knuckles S, whereby the swinging frames are preferably connected together in pairs and to the pivotal shafts or their journal-box ends. Like gear-wheels T T are mounted on the shafts O O and are engaged by the wheels R, a driving-wheel R being between two driven wheels T Feed-rolls U are attached to the shafts O O at the tops thereof, the rolls .being situated at the fronts of the grooves p and normally extending near to the bottoms of the grooves.` Ears t are usually attached to the swinging frames M M', to which the studs P and the springs Q are connected, the latter being also connected to suitable frame parts u or 1J.

In practical use the machine being in motion the stock strips of barkare to be fe'd endwise into the groove p of the guide I, with the smooth side of the bark against the bottom ofthe groove, the rough outer side of the strips being engaged by the first feed-roll U, whereby a strip will be forced against the first splitter G and thereby split as the strip emerges from the rear end of the groove, the thin strip or ribbon thus removed from the inner side of the bark being forced outwardly by the beveled side h of the splitter. The remaining portion of the stock strip will pass on to the neXt guide and feed-roll and be further split by the second splitter G of the series, which will throw out a second thin strip or ribbon, and so the stock strip will pass along until entirely split into available In the operation the feed-rolls may be forced outwardly more or less by the a stock strip against the pressure of the springs Q, the frames M M moving slightly above their pivots. Vhen a guide-groove is empty, the feed-roll will be prevented from touching the bottom of the groove by the stop-stud I. It will be understood that the driving-belt Z will transmit power to all of the splitters simultaneously and also to the lfeedrolls,vthe

`relative speed of the latter being predetermined when designing the pulleys therefor. In setting the splitters so as to divide the bark into thin strips of the required thickness the splitter-shafts are to be moved endwise in their bearings, the collars d and e being moved and adj usted accordingly. After the splitters have been resharpened and their diameters thus reduced the curved ends q of the guides should'be reground, so as to have a lesser radii, conforming to the curvature of the splitter edges, andthe stands supporting IOO IIC

IZO

i swinging frames, one in cach frame; a pluthe splitter-shafts are to be readjusted, so as to advance the splitters toward the rear ends of the guides.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A bark-splitting machine including a frame,a plurality of rotative shafts mounted onthe frame, a plurality of rotative splitters mounted on the shafts, a plurality of feedingguides mounted on the frame having each an end extending between the frame and an adj acent splitter edge, a pluralityof feed-roll shafts i `having grooves the bottoms of which are in dierent parallel planes, a plurality of movable feed-roll-shaft frames, a plurality of feed-roll shafts mounted in the frames, a plurality of feed-rolls attached to the feed-roll shafts, springs for the feed-rolls, and stops for the feed-rolls.

3. A bark-splitting machine including a` plurality of rotative circular splitters, a plurality of grooved guides between the splitters,

each guide extending partially under adjacent splitters and having at the entrance end ofthe groove therein opposing vertical guides and also a lateral guide, feed-rolls coperating with the guides, feed-roll shafts, and

4 frames supporting the feed-roll shafts.

4. A multiple bark-splitting machine comprising a frame, a pluralityof bearings mount- -Ved adj ustably on the frame, a plurality of splitter-shafts mounted adjustably in the bearings, a plurality of circular splitters mounted on the splitter-shafts in different parallel vertical planes, a plurality of guides having curved endsadjacent to the front edges of the splitters and also having grooves extending to the curved ends thereof, the bottoms of the grooves being in different parallel vertical planes, means for driving the splitters; a plurality of vertical rotative shafts, one to each pair of splitters, a plurality of laterallyi. swinging frames pivoted substantially to the vertical shafts, a pair of frames to each shaft;

a plurality of feed-roll shafts mounted in the rality of feed-rolls attached to the feed-roll shafts, one to each shaft; means for driving the vertical shafts; a driving gear-wheel attached to each vertical shaft; a gear-wheel attachedto each feed-roll shaft lengaging opposite sides of the driving gear-wheel, each vertical shaft transmitting` motion to a pair of feed-rollshafts; a spring connected with each swinging frame, and a stop member for each feed-roll. p

5. In a multiple barksplitting machine, the combination of a frame, a plurality of stands mounted upon the frame in parallel rows, a plurality of parallel horizontal splitter-shafts mounted rotatively on the stands, driven pulleys attached to the splitter-shafts, circular y splitters attached to the splitter-shafts and having beveled edges oppositely from the stands, guides having curved ends adjacent to the splitters and also having grooves therein, a plurality of horizontal feed-gear shafts mounted in a plane below the splittershafts, driven pulleys on the feedgear shafts, a plurality of vertical feed-gear shafts operatively connected with the horizontal feedgear shafts, driving gear-wheels attached to the vertical feed-gear shafts, swinging frames having their pivots identical with the vertical feed-gear shafts, feed-roll shafts mounted in the swingingframes and having gear-wheels engaging the driving gear-wheels, feed-rolls lattached to the feed-roll shafts above the swinging frames, springs connected with the swinging frames,` stops for the swinging frames, idlerpulleys supported by the frame, and a belt extending in contact with the driven pulleys and the idler-pulleys, substantially as set forth.

In a multiple bark-splitting machine,I the combination with a frame, rotative splitters mounted near the frame, and spring-pressed feed-rolls mounted near the splitters, of feeding-guides fixed on the frame and each extending between the frame and a splitter edge,

and opposing vertical guides and also lateral guides for the feeding-guides situated at. the

- ends thereof opposite to the portions that ex- .tend between the frame and the splitter edges, substantially as set forth.

7. In a bark-splitting machine, the combination of the frame, the plurality of stands mounted adjustably on the frame, the plurality of splitter-shafts mounted rotatively on the stands, the pulleys attached to the splitter-shafts, the circular splitters attached to the splitter shafts and having beveled edges oppositely from the stands, the feedingguides extending between the splitters and having the grooves therein, the curved verticaland lateral guides cooperating with the feedingguides and extending at the plane sidesof the splitters, drivin g-belts connecting the pulleys on the splittershafts, the feedroll shafts, the feed-rolls on the feed-roll shafts, and means for driving the feed-roll shafts in.unison.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. i

HARRISON L. STALEY. Witnesses ROY SrocKrNG, ISAAC L. MITCHELL.

ICG 

